19 June 2014

Local News

Recount Results Still Pending

Still no word this morning on the results of a hand-recount of ballots from the May 20th primary.

Ballots for two different positions on the Lane County Commission are being recounted because the winners… Faye Stewart for the East Lane seat; and Jay Bozievich for the West Lane; were each within a few votes of the 50-percent mark.

If the results stand Stewart Bozievich would be unopposed on the November ballot.

If the recount shows one or the other failed to get a clear majority, they would face opposition.

The recount began Tuesday morning and elections officials said they expected it would be complete by the end of that day.

Bozievich narrowly defeated challenger Dawn Lesley in the West Lane race; Stewart far outpaced four other candidates in East Lane. His closest competitor was Kevin Matthews who had 35-percent of the vote.

Firefighters Battle Second Blaze

Last week was a busy one for local firefighters. Calls included two structure fires and assisting in searching for the victims of a Sunday morning plane crash.

Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Fire Marshall Sean Barrett said the second structure fire wasn’t as destructive as the first, but it was still dangerous.

The call came in just before eight pm Friday of smoke coming from the upstairs window of a home near the library at 920 Maple Street.

The initial engine company arrived to find the occupant trying to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. Firefighters quickly took over and had the blaze under control in less than seven minutes.

The cause, according to Barrett, was a faulty window fan that caught a mattress on fire. Smoke, fire and water damage were confined mainly to the upstairs and the estimated loss was less than three-thousand dollars.

But, added Barrett, the blaze displaced eight occupants of the home. They were being aided by the Red Cross.

Permit Costs Going Down

The cost of getting a building permit at Lane County will be dropping by about eight percent in two weeks.

That’s because a ten-percent surcharge imposed on building permits beginning in 2008 will be discontinued as of July First.

Matt Laird, the Land Management division manager with Lane County, said the assessment paid for two technology projects and was never intended to be permanent.

The first project required scanning all old permit records into digital files to make them easier to access and store.

The second was the acquisition and implementation of new permit tracking software.

He noted both projects were completed on time and on budget; and will be a great benefit to property owners and contractors.

Leave That Baby Be

Wildlife biologists say there have been several instances over the past few weeks of people rescuing abandoned fawn deer.

The only problem is… they weren’t abandoned and they didn’t need rescuing.

Does, just like mother seals, will often leave their young in a secure location while they are out foraging for food. In the case of deer, the mother can also be attempting to lure predators away from offspring while they hide out.

Unsuspecting humans can sometimes discover what appears to be an orphaned animal and either try to raise it themselves or turn it over to authorities.

Instead of helping, they’re most likely harming the animal by taking it out of its natural environment and making it dependent on humans.

Wildlife officials say if you see what appears to be a sick, injured, or orphaned baby… note the location and call them or the Oregon State Police.

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Athletes of the Year

Joseph Dotson and Mikaela Siegel

Two State Champion hurdlers are Coast Radio Sports’ Athletes of the year: senior Joseph Dotson and junior Mikaela Siegel; both from Siuslaw High School.

Dotson was a standout football and basketball player for the Vikings. He also competed at this year’s Summit Decathlon in Bend where he finished in fourth place with 6034 points. Dotson claimed the state championship in the 300-meter hurdles at the 4A meet two weeks ago.

Siegel was also a multi-sport athlete for Siuslaw. She finished fourth individually at the Far West District Cross County Meet in the fall; was named to the Far West League All-Defensive Team for basketball; finished fifth at the Summit Heptathlon; and won the state 4A championship in the 100 meter hurdles.

Viking Sports Talk

Coast Radio’s Our Town

Our Town is crossing over! Coast Radio's Our Town, the monthly public affairs program about things happening in and around our town, will now be reaired on KCFM every month.

You can still tune in to KCST, 106.9 FM on the first Wednesday of each month to listen to Our Town, but if you miss it, you can tune in the next morning at 10:00 AM on KCFM to hear the program in its entirety.

If you still missed it, or you just want to hear it again, come back to KCFM on the following Sunday at 10:00 for one more airing.

The July 1st edition of Our Town featured conversations with the founders of the Oregon Coast Military Museum. After a seven year effort, the grand opening of the facility is set for the afternoon of July 4th. Tim Sapp, Wayne Sharpe, Call Applebee and Sue Gilday have all been instrumental in the formation of the museum.

A legislative recap is on the list of topics as well. Host Bob Sneddon will talk with Oregon Representative Caddy McKeown and State Senator Arnie Roblan about the current legislative session that is winding down.

Also in the studio will be Carol Slaugh and Joy McCourt. Slaugh is the founder of "Minutes of Gold", a non-profit effort to make layettes for stillborn babies. Slaugh started the effort in 1992 when she heard the heartbreaking stories of parents and grandparents of stillborns. McCourt, an avid crafter crochets, sews and presses hundreds of the gifts each year. There are dozens of volunteers that supply the needs of 187 hospitals in the United States, including all of them in Oregon.

Florence's "volunteer dynamo" Kaylee Graham will also be on the program to talk about preparations for the fourth annual Power of FlOreNcE. Coming up July 18th, it's a day where Graham hopes as many people as possible will get out and do something for someone else.

Coast Radio's Our Town can also be heard right here on kcst.com. If you missed it on the air, you can always come back and hear it here.

Our Town is sponsored on KCST by the Archives, Photo Restoration Specialist; Holloway and Associates CPAs; Andy Baber/Edward Jones Investments; Siuslaw Public Library , Lane Community College and PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center.

It airs on KCST, 106.9 FM the first Wednesday of every month from 4 to 6 pm; then again the next morning from ten to noon on KCFM AM1250/FM 104.1/FM 103.1.